Step Aerobics

Step Aerobics

Step aerobics has been around for over 25 years and is still one of the most popular and effective ways of exercising: in a class or at home. All you need is a step and some upbeat music.

What Step Aerobics Can Do for You

When you do step aerobics you are primarily exercising heart and lungs for improved cardiovascular fitness. You’ll also be giving your lower body muscles a good workout: strengthening and toning your bottom, thigh and abdominal muscles.

Working Your Upper Body

A good aerobic step class instructor will have your arms going at the same time as your legs, increasing the calories burned during your workout.

But in order to actually tone your upper body muscles you need to add some extra weight to those upper moves to get the toning effect your lower body gets by lifting your body weight. This is simple enough to achieve using wrist or hand weights or a small bottle of water.

Intensifying Your Step Workout

Because stepping is a repetitive form of exercise, your muscles will quickly develop in response and you should find that, after a while, your step workout becomes easier. This is the time to increase the intensity of your workout and there are three easy ways to do this:

Do your step aerobics routine to faster music, this will quicken your stepping pace and make heart and lungs work harder.

Increase the height of the step, making your lower body muscles work harder.

If your legs are strong you can add ankle weights to keep you working at high intensity.

Step Upgrade

Reebok have developed their step and produced the Reebok Deck. Bigger than a step, the Deck can still be used as a step for step aerobics, but also doubles as an adjustable incline bench for using with weights or resistance tubes. This means that as well as the aerobic workout achieved by step, you can also have a strength, stretch and resistance workout all with same piece of kit.

The Mini Step

Reebok have also created the new Mini Step. Smaller than the original Reebok Step at just 72.5cm in length, the Reebok Mini Step still gives you the great Step workout but is stored more easily when you have finished.

Lower Impact Aerobic Exercise

Suitable for all ages and abilities, rebounding provides a great fun full body workout and is very low impact – great for if you’re concerned about your joints. According to NASA rebounding is the most efficient and effective exercise known to man, checkout the Reebok Rebounder.